Evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) - Journal Article

International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management
Volume-2, Issue-1, January-2019
www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5792
8
Evolution of the Internet of Things
Dipak R. Nemade
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, J. T. Mahajan College of Engineering, Faizpur, India
Abstract: The IoT is enabled by the latest developments in
RFID, smart sensors, communication technologies, and Internet
protocols. We see the IoT as billions of smart, connected “things”
(a sort of “universal global neural network” in the cloud) that will
encompass every aspect of our lives, and its foundation is the
intelligence that embedded processing provides. The IoT is
comprised of smart machines interacting and communicating with
other machines, objects, environments and infrastructures. As a
result, huge volumes of data are being generated, and that data is
being processed into useful actions that can “command and
control” things to make our lives much easier and safer—and to
reduce our impact on the environment. The creativity of this new
era is boundless, with amazing potential to improve our lives. The
following thesis is an extensive reference to the possibilities, utility,
applications and the evolution of the Internet of Things. We’re
entering a new era of computing technology that many are calling
the Internet of Things (IoT). Machine to machine, machine to
infrastructure, machine to environment, the Internet of
Everything, the Internet of Intelligent Things, intelligent
systems—call it what you want, but it’s happening, and its
potential is huge.
Keywords: IoT, Network, Internet, Evolution, Communication,
objects, embedded, machine
1. Introduction
The IoT allows objects to be sensed and controlled remotely
across existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities
for more direct integration of the physical world into computerbased systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy
and economic benefit; when IoT is augmented with sensors and
actuators, the technology becomes an instance of the more
general class of cyber-physical systems, which also
encompasses technologies such as smart grids, smart homes,
intelligent transportation and smart cities. The Internet of
Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects—devices,
vehicles, buildings and other items—embedded with
electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity that
enables these objects to collect and exchange data. Each thing
is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing
system but is able to interoperate within the existing Internet
infrastructure .IoT is made up of a loose collection of disparate,
purpose-built networks. Today’s cars, for example, have
multiple networks to control engine function, safety features,
communications systems, and so on. Commercial and
residential buildings also have various control systems for
heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC); telephone
service; security; and lighting. As IoT evolves, these networks,
and many others, will be connected with added security,
analytics, and management capabilities.
Fig. 1. Internet of Things
The Internet of things (IoT) is the network of physical
devices, vehicles, home appliances and other items embedded
with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and connectivity
which enables these objects to connect and exchange data. Each
thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing
system but is able to inter-operate within the existing Internet
infrastructure. The IoT allows objects to be sensed or controlled
remotely across existing network infrastructure,[creating
opportunities for more direct integration of the physical world
into computer-based systems, and resulting in improved
efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit in addition to
reduced human intervention. The Internet and the World Wide
Web (or web)—terms that are often used interchangeably. The
Internet is the physical layer or network made up of switches,
routers, and other equipment. Its primary function is to transport
information from one point to another quickly, reliably, and
securely. The web, on the other hand, is an application layer
that operates on top of the Internet. Its primary role is to provide
an interface that makes the information flowing across the
Internet usable.
Fig. 2. Architecture of IoT
The integration of wireless sensors with agricultural mobile
apps and cloud platforms helps in collecting vital information
pertaining to the environmental conditions – temperature,
rainfall, humidity, wind speed, pest infestation, soil humus
International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management
Volume-2, Issue-1, January-2019
www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5792
content or nutrients, besides others linked with a farmland, can
be used to improve and automate farming techniques, take
informed decisions to improve quality and quantity, and
minimize risks and wastes. The app-based field or crop
monitoring also lowers the hassles of managing crops at
multiple locations. For example, farmers can now detect which
areas have been fertilized (or mistakenly missed), if the land is
too dry and predict future yields. Information technologies are
getting smarter by the day. In the near future, users may able to
send a message to a friend by typing something on their sleeve,
or their purse may remind them not to leave their keys in the
house. In fact, keys may soon be a thing of the past, if biometric
recognition sensors in smart homes replace them. Current
definitions of “smart” are very broad. Any conventional
material or thing that can react to external stimuli may be called
a “smart thing”. In other words, not only are our devices, such
as PDAs and mobile phones, getting “smarter”, but so too are
the clothes we wear, the containers we use and the houses we
live in. This section examines some of the most interesting
developments in this area.
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B. Wireless sensor networks
The intelligence of a single sensor increases exponentially
when used in a network. When a sensor forms part of a sensor
network, it is known as a sensor “node”. While it is now easy
to deploy single sensors, ensuring connectivity between
multiple nodes is a more challenging task. In simple terms,
sensor nodes can be connected to each other in two ways: wire
line and wireless. Wire line communication protocols provide
high levels of security and reliability, and are appropriate
“whenever time-critical and mission-critical data and closedloop control are required”. However, laying cables and
relocating them at a later date can be costly and timeconsuming. Taking these factors into consideration, together
with advances in miniaturization and low-cost alternatives,
wireless links are being increasingly explored for the
development of sensor networks. Wireless sensor networks are
generally less costly, less visible and more flexible.
2. IOT smart sensors
A. What is a sensor?
A sensor is a device that detects and responds to some type
of input from the physical environment. A sensor is an
electronic device, which detects senses or measures physical
stimuli – for instance, motion, heat or pressure – and responds
in a specific way. It converts signals from stimuli into an
analogue or digital form, so that the raw data about detected
parameters are readable by machines and human The specific
input could be light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure, or any
one of a great number of other environmental phenomena.
The output is generally a signal that is converted to humanreadable display at the sensor location or transmitted
electronically over a network for reading or further processing.
Sensors are used to measure physical quantities such as
temperature, light, pressure, sound, and humidity. They send
signals to the processor. For example: A security alarm system
may have an infrared sensor which sends a signal when the
beam is broken. Why might one require the use of sensors? One
of the first questions people ask over a mobile phone is: “Where
are you?” They do this to get information about the location and
situation a person is in. This information is needed for more
effective decision-making. Much is gained from applying a
similar logic to computers: even more so, when computers
become ubiquitous. It is extremely important to gather
knowledge about the environment, situation or context
surrounding an object (computing element) or user, so that
decisions taken by the computing element are as relevant to the
user’s task or status as possible. However, computers
communicate in other ways than people. In a ubiquitous
network society, where human-computer interactions should be
as simple and effortless as possible, some of the most important
sources of information for a computer are its sensors.
Fig. 3. Wireless Sensor Network
Wireless sensor network (WSN) refers to a group of spatially
dispersed and dedicated sensors for monitoring and recording
the physical conditions of the environment and organizing the
collected data at a central location. WSNs measure
environmental conditions like temperature, sound, pollution
levels, humidity, wind, and so on. Wireless sensor network
refers to a group of spatially dispersed and dedicated sensors
for monitoring and recording the physical conditions of the
environment and organizing the collected data at a central
location.
C. Webbing the sensors
While software, machine-to-machine learning and other
technologies work together to analyze data from physical
objects – the sensors are key to gathering the information. If
software is the brains of the IoT, sensors are the nervous system
collecting continuous streams of data to be processed. Industrial
systems rely on sensors for reliable, consistent and accurate
data in all aspects of automation. One could even argue the IoT
is nothing without sensors to measure parameters such as strain,
temperature, position, and pressure. The Internet of Things
(IoT), also sometimes referred to as the Internet of Everything
(IoE), consists of all the web-enabled devices that collect, send
and act on data they acquire from their surrounding
environments using embedded sensors, processors and
communication hardware. These devices, often called
International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management
Volume-2, Issue-1, January-2019
www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5792
10
"connected" or "smart" devices, can sometimes talk to other
related devices, a process called machine-to-machine (M2M)
communication, and act on the information they get from one
another. Humans can interact with the gadgets to set them up,
give them instructions or access the data, but the devices do
most of the work on their own without human intervention.
Their existence has been made possible by all the tiny mobile
components that are available these days, as well as the alwaysonline nature of our home and business networks. Connected
devices also generate massive amounts of Internet traffic,
including loads of data that can be used to make the devices
useful, but can also be mined for other purposes. All this new
data, and the Internet-accessible nature of the devices, raises
both privacy and security concerns. An IoT system consists of
sensors/devices which “talk” to the cloud through some kind of
connectivity. Once the data gets to the cloud, software
processes it and then might decide to perform an action, such as
sending an alert or automatically adjusting the sensors/devices
without the need for the user. But if the user input is needed or
if the user simply wants to check in on the system, a user
interface allows them to do so. Any adjustments or actions that
the user makes are then sent in the opposite direction through
the system: from the user interface, to the cloud, and back to the
sensors/devices to make some kind of change.
safeguarding connected devices and networks in the Internet of
things (IoT). The Internet of Things involves the increasing
prevalence of objects and entities – known, in this context as
things -- provided with unique identifiers and the ability to
automatically transfer data over a network. Much of the
increase in IoT communication comes from computing devices
and embedded sensor systems used in industrial machine-tomachine (M2M) communication, smart energy grids, home and
building automation, vehicle to vehicle communication and
wearable computing devices. The main problem is that because
the idea of networking appliances and other objects is relatively
new, security has not always been considered in product design.
IoT products are often sold with old and unpatched embedded
operating systems and software. Furthermore, purchasers often
fail to change the default passwords on smart devices or if they
do change them, fail to select sufficiently strong passwords. To
improve security, an IoT device that needs to be directly
accessible over the Internet, should be segmented into its own
network and have network access restricted. The network
segment should then be monitored to identify potential
anomalous traffic, and action should be taken if there is a
problem.
Fig. 4. Block Diagram of IoT
B. IoT authentication
Providing the ability for users to authenticate an IoT device,
including managing multiple users of a single device (such as a
connected car), ranging from simple static password/pins to
more robust authentication mechanisms such as two-factor
authentication, digital certificates and biometrics. Unlike most
enterprise networks where the authentication processes involve
a human being entering a credential, many IoT authentication
scenarios (such as embedded sensors) are machine-to-machine
based without any human intervention.
Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly developing technology
today and most likely everyday thing in the future. Numerous
devices, computing machines and build-in sensors connected in
a single dynamic network continuously receive and exchange
information from the outer environment. Huge data clusters are
collected and put to use in handmade applications that
scrupulously manage and control given objectives. In this way,
an interactive technical infrastructure is created, which can
oversee and infiltrate any person’s vital processes. Though
separately every device and technological solution in the IoT
can be known for many years, each architecture is unique and
provides new challenges for the network owner. This research
aims to investigate IoT general structure and management
aspects with the knowledge of which the authors will try to
answer a trivial question whether it is possible to
comprehensively control.
3. IoT security
IoT security is the area of endeavor concerned with
A. IoT network security
IoT network security is Protecting and securing the network
connecting IoT devices to back-end systems on the internet. IoT
network security is a bit more challenging than traditional
network security because there is a wider range of
communication protocols, standards, and device capabilities,
all of which pose significant issues and increased complexity.
Key capabilities include traditional endpoint security features
such as antivirus and antimalware as well as other features such
as firewalls and intrusion prevention and detection systems.
C. IoT encryption
Encrypting data at rest and in transit between IoT edge
devices and back-end systems using standard cryptographic
algorithms, helping maintain data integrity and preventing data
sniffing by hackers. The wide range of IoT devices and
hardware profiles limits the ability to have standard encryption
processes and protocols. Moreover, all IoT encryption must be
accompanied by equivalent full encryption key lifecycle
management processes, since poor key management will reduce
overall security.
International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management
Volume-2, Issue-1, January-2019
www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5792
D. IoT PKI
Providing complete X.509 digital certificate and
cryptographic key and life-cycle capabilities, including
public/private key generation, distribution, management, and
revocation. The hardware specs for some IoT devices may limit
or prevent their ability to utilize PKI. Digital certificates can be
securely loaded onto IoT devices at the time of manufacture and
then activated/enabled by third-party PKI software suites; the
certificates could also be installed post-manufacture.
E. IoT security analytics
Collecting, aggregating, monitoring, and normalizing data
from IoT devices and providing actionable reporting and
alerting on specific activities or when activities fall outside
established policies. These solutions are starting to add
sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence, and big
data techniques to provide more predictive modeling and
anomaly detection (and reduce the number of false positives),
but these capabilities are still emerging. IoT security analytics
will increasingly be required to detect IoT-specific attacks and
intrusions that are not identified by traditional network security
solutions such as firewalls.
F. IoT API security
Providing the ability to authenticate and authorize data
movement between IoT devices, back-end systems, and
applications using documented REST-based APIs. API security
will be essential for protecting the integrity of data transiting
between edge devices and back-end systems to ensure that only
authorized devices, developers, and apps are communicating
with APIs as well as detecting potential threats and attacks
against specific APIs.
G. Firewalling and IPS
The device also needs a firewall or deep packet inspection
capability to control traffic that is destined to terminate at the
device. Why a host-based firewall or IPS is required if networkbased appliances are in place? Deeply embedded devices have
unique protocols, distinct from enterprise IT protocols. For
instance, the smart energy grid has its own set of protocols
governing how devices talk to each other. That is why industryspecific protocol filtering and deep packet inspection
capabilities are needed to identify malicious payloads hiding in
non-IT protocols. The device needn’t concern itself with
filtering higher-level, common Internet traffic—the network
appliances should take care of that—but it does need to filter
the specific data destined to terminate on that device in a way
that makes optimal use of the limited computational resources
available.
H. Secure booting
When power is first introduced to the device, the authenticity
and integrity of the software on the device is verified using
cryptographically generated digital signatures. In much the
same way that a person signs a check or a legal document, a
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digital signature attached to the software image and verified by
the device ensures that only the software that has been
authorized to run on that device, and signed by the entity that
authorized it, will be loaded. The foundation of trust has been
established, but the device still needs protection from various
run-time threats and malicious intentions.
4. IoT applications
A. Smart home
Definition of connected home is different for different
people. In simple words a smart home is the one in which the
devices have the capability to communicate with each other as
well as to their intangible environment. A smart home gives
owner the capability to customize and control home
environment for increased security and efficient energy
management. There are hundreds of IoT technologies available
for monitoring and building smart homes.
Fig. 5. IoT Applications
B. Variables
Variables are one of the hottest trends in IoT currently.
Apple, Samsung, Jawbone and plenty of others all are surviving
in a cut throat competition. Wearable IoT tech is a very large
domain and consists of an array of devices. These devices
broadly cover the fitness, health and entertainment
requirements. The prerequisite from internet of things
technology for wearable applications is to be highly energy
efficient or ultra-low power and small sized. Here are some top
examples of wearable IoT devices that fulfill these
requirements.
C. Retail
The potential of IoT in the retail sector is enormous. Imagine
the scenario when your home appliances will be able to notify
you about shortage of supplies or even order them all on their
own. This proximity-based advertising model of smart retailing
has started to become a reality. We already have internet of
things application examples as part of smart supply chains.
Applications for tracking goods, real time information
exchange about inventory among suppliers and retailers and
automated delivery all existing but with a limited reach.
D. Smart Cities
Smart surveillance, safer and automated transportation,
smarter energy management systems and environmental
International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management
Volume-2, Issue-1, January-2019
www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5792
monitoring all are examples of internet of things applications
for smart cities. Smart cities are the real substantial solutions
for the troubles people usually face due to population outburst,
pollution, poor infrastructure and shortage of energy supplies.
Here are some examples of IoT devices at work.
E. Healthcare
Healthcare is one sector which is supposed to be highly
boosted with advent of internet of things applications. IoT
examples in this domain are many. TI is shaping technology to
improve the quality and accessibility of digital products that are
revolutionizing the health and fitness industries.
F. Agriculture
Reduce time to market in your precision agriculture design
with TI devices and reference designs.
5. Conclusion
Internet of Things is a new revolution of the Internet & it is
a key research topic for researcher in embedded, computer
science & information technology area due to its very diverse
area of application and heterogeneous mixture of various
communications and embedded technology in its architecture.
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